Saturday 4/26. Cloudy - drizzle. Siouxon Creek in Gifford Pinchot forest, offers view to three big waterfalls (Horseshoe, Siouxon, Chinook), countless small cascades, on a nice and mostly leveled trail. Pleasant, very green, the water is so clear that it reflects the color of the stones in it. Quite some camping spots by the creek. 
A nice log bench to view Horseshoe Falls, and another nice log bench for Siouxon Falls. We did an out and back without fording water, instead of the standard lollipop, which would be easier in the summer. Right now the water is high enough that only me went as far as Chinook Falls. The rest all turned back at Siouxon-Chinook Trail Junction, where you need to cross a small cascading creek which drops to Siouxon Creek (requiring balancing on 2 small logs over the water: see the above photo) and cross a "closed" bridge. A nice camping area is right across the bridge, a least 2 tents and a bunch of kids already there. 
Half of my group is too slow, plus that our hike leader (who wrote about this hike in her latest book), however nice she is, missed the turn (we didn't start the hike until 11:40!), we came back into the town at 7pm, too late for me to grab something to eat before my concert. Total ~7.5 miles, ~1000'. Saw 3 bikers, a group of teenage campers with huge load (for just one night), ~20 other hikers.Direction: from Seattle I-5 exit 21 for Hwy 503, turn south on 503 after Mt St Helen's Aero Ranch airport. Or from Portland I-205 exit 30B for Hwy 500 east which becomes 503. Just north of the Mt St. Helens National Monument Headquarters, turn east on NE Healy Road / FR54, for 9.2 miles. Left on FR 57 for 1.2 miles, at a large gravel turnaround, left on FR 5701 (no sign) for 3.8 miles just before the road ends. Mostly paved. Some broken pavement and a little gravel.
